A New Cancer on the Rise:Throat cancers

Throat cancers:

Throat cancer refers to cancerous tumors that develop in your throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx) or tonsils.

Your throat is a muscular tube that begins behind your nose and ends in your neck. Your voice box sits just below your throat and is also susceptible to throat cancer. The voice box is made of cartilage and contains the vocal cords that vibrate to make sound when you talk. Throat cancer can also affect the piece of cartilage (epiglottis) that acts as a lid for your windpipe. Tonsil cancer, another form of throat cancer, affects the tonsils, which are located on the back of the throat

These essential steps help keep you and your family safe.

1. Pay Close Attention to Recurring Symptoms

Doctors don’t routinely screen for throat cancer, so flag any symptoms that last longer than 2 weeks or that clear up but soon return. Your primary care doctor will refer you to an ear, nose, and throat doctor for more thorough testing. “When [HPV-related] cancer is caught early,patients have greater than a 90% survival rate,” says Anna Giuliano, PhD, chair of the department of cancer epidemiology and genetics at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. Most patients are younger and healthier than those with cancers triggered by smoking and drinking. Research shows that HPV-positive cancers also respond better to radiation and chemotherapy.

2. Know Your Risk

A 2007 New England Journal of Medicine study found that people with six or more oral-sex partners in their lifetime were at 3.4 times greater risk of this kind of throat cancer. The HPV virus may remain dormant for years or even decades, so your past partners can affect your current vulnerability even if you’ve long been married. If you’ve had abnormal Pap tests or a history of cervical HPV infections, then you may be at higher risk of oropharynx cancer.But before you start fretting over your sexual history, know that “although the HPV virus is common, throat cancer is still relatively rare,” says Dr. Giuliano.About 4 to 10% of people have

oral HPV infections, but only a tiny fraction of those will be diagnosed with cancer. Your body usually just fights off the virus. Also, keep in mind that smoking is still the predominant cause of oropharynx cancer.

3. Vaccinate Your Children

Currently approved to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts in people ages 9 to 26, the HPV vaccine can likely thwart throat cancer too. One of the strains it protects against (HPV 16) is linked to more tha90% of HPVrelated throat cancers. Experts advise getting your tween, teen, or young adult vaccinated

Tests and diagnosis

In order to diagnose throat cancer, your doctor may recommend:

Using a scope to get a closer look at your throat. Your doctor may use a special lighted scope (endoscope) to get a close look at your throat during a procedure called endoscopy. A tiny camera at the end of the endoscope transmits images to a video screen that your doctor watches for signs of abnormalities in your throat. Another type of scope (laryngoscope) can be inserted in your voice box. It uses a magnifying lens to help your doctor examine your vocal cords. This procedure is called laryngoscopy.

Removing a tissue sample for testing. If abnormalities are found during endoscopy or laryngoscopy, your doctor can pass surgical instruments through the scope to collect a tissue sample (biopsy). The sample is sent to a laboratory for testing.

Imaging tests. Imaging tests, including X-ray, computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), may help your doctor determine the extent of your cancer beyond the surface of your throat or voice box.

Staging 

Once throat cancer is diagnosed, the next step is to determine the extent, or stage, of the cancer. Knowing the stage helps determine your treatment options.

The stage of throat cancer is characterized with the Roman numerals I through IV. Each subtype of throat cancer has its own criteria for each stage. In general, stage I throat cancer indicates a smaller tumor confined to one area of the throat. Later stages indicate more advanced cancer, with stage IV being the most advanced.